Want to perform at our neurodivergent cabaret night?

Recently myself, South London troubadour Gary Paradiso and the Organised Fun team secured Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant funding for our Neurodivergent Cabaret Night, Organised Fun, which we run every quarter at a venue called Jamboree near Kings Cross station.

One of the things we really want to do with the night is make sure we provide an open process for performers who want to play to register their interest. We know many neurodivergent and disabled performers face barriers when accessing opportunities to perform and one of those barriers can be promoters not being open to acts without an existing reputation, or not being transparent about how to apply.

We’re trying to do things differently and we’ve compiled some Frequently Asked Questions to help you understand how you can register your interest in performing and to provide the info you need to know to do so.

When is the next Organised Fun?

If you want to see for yourself what the night is like, our next event is on Wednesday 15 May. We have a fantastic line-up including iconic singer and spoken word artist Miss Jacqui, one man karaoke pop maestro Tim Ten Yen, multitalented drag/clown/cabaret artist XO, underground antifolk legend Tom Mayne from David Cronenberg's Wife, cabaret diva Valerie Savage and of course our incomparable compere Gary Paradiso. Tickets are available from this WeGotTickets link.

How do I apply to play Organised Fun?

We’re very keen to hear from acts who might want to play at the night. If you’re interested in playing, there is an application form available which you can fill out. If filling out forms isn’t your thing, the form also explains how to apply by video.?

Before applying you might want to read this information, which hopefully will answer your questions.

Why do you call it a neurodivergent cabaret?

We call it a neurodivergent cabaret because it is a cabaret night run by a group of neurodivergent people where we try to make access adjustments for neurodivergent artists and performers. We don’t in any way want to be gatekeepers for what it means to be neurodivergent - or, how to run a cabaret night come to that!? But between us we’ve got backgrounds in music, theatre, performing arts and improving access to live events and we wanted to bring all our interests together to put on something which we’d enjoy and hope others will too!?

You can find out more about the accessibility of the night by visiting our access information page.?

What sort of acts will you put on?

We’ll consider music, drag, theatre, comedy, circus, spoken word and more.

Is there anything you won’t put on?

We don’t have hard and fast rules but we tend to go for acts that have a strong element of performance to them. For example, if you’re a musician who strongly believes in letting your music speak for itself without any sort of theatrics then we might not be the right night for you.

Also, whilst we want to embrace the subversive traditions of cabaret, anything with full frontal nudity isn’t quite right for the night or the venue.?

Do I need to be neurodivergent to play?

We’ve not made it essential because we don’t want to force anyone to share this information,? and we know that not all neurodivergent people have a diagnosis or even know themselves that they are neurodivergent. Part of the aim is to give disabled or neurodivergent performers a space to perform, but we are ultimately looking for people who we think will work within the ethos of the night.?

I’m not London-based. Does that matter?

Not at all. We’re keen to programme performers from outside London and we can provide a budget towards travel and accommodation. We ask for a little bit of information about whether you will bring an audience but that’s only to ensure we programme you on the right bill - it won’t stop us from putting you on.?

I’ve not performed before. Will that stop you from putting me on?

No. We recognise a lot of disabled and neurodivergent people can find it hard to find gigs, due to both lack of accessibility and lack of confidence, and part of our aim of the night is to give people chances when they have not had them before. We do ask you to send a video of you performing at home so we can get a sense of how you might come across on a stage.

Do you pay people?

Yes. One of the benefits of having Arts Council funding is that it enables us to offer what we hope is a fair fee to anyone who is performing.We usually ask artists for their rates then work out a fee based on this. We use the Musicians’ Union’s recommended rates as a guideline.?

I’m on benefits and worried about accepting money that might mess up my Universal Credit. What can I do?

Whilst we’d rather pay performers where we can, we do understand it might cause more problems than it solves for some performers. We will still cover your food and travel expenses but, if you need to, you can donate your time “in kind” if you choose to do so. This essentially means you choose to perform as a volunteer to avoid complicating your benefits. Because we are in receipt of public funds, we are not able to pay cash in hand without an invoice.

I applied to play but you’ve not put me on. Do you think my act is terrible?

Because we are a quarterly night, we only put on four shows a year. That means there are a lot of great acts that we simply cannot fit in. It might be that you weren’t quite right for the night, or just that we’ve not found the right bill for you. We also have to balance out our line-ups in terms of style, sound levels and tech requirements, to prevent overwhelm.?

Please remember neither we - nor any other promoter - is an authority on who is or is not “good”. We’re just some people with an opinion. Please don’t let any promoter’s opinion destroy your confidence!